GRASS CULTURE AND RANGE IMPROVEMENT 21 



This species is ordinarily dioecious, producing the pistillate or 

 seed-producing flowers on one plant and the staminate or pollen- 

 bearing flowers on another. A small percentage of the plants pro- 

 duce both seed and pollen but on different stems arising from the 

 same node, and continue to produce these beyond the second year. 

 Both the dioecious and monoecious plants usually produce seed on 

 extremely short stems hidden among the leaves, while the pollen- 

 bearing spikes are borne on much taller stems extending beyond 

 the leaves. In 1937 a pistillate selection was made at Woodward, 

 having the shape and tall stem of the staminate inflorescence. This 

 chance variation indicates that this species descended from ancestors 

 having perfect flowers (the staminate (male) and pistillate (female) 

 organs in the same flower), and further indicates the possibility of 

 developing still taller seed-producing strains easier to harvest than 

 ordinary plants. Gernert (25) describes other characteristics of 

 buffalo grass and reports upon its differential susceptibility to nema- 

 tode infestations. 



GALLETA GRASS 



Galleta grass and black grama appeared to be the most drought - 

 resistant species in preliminary trials at Woodward, Okla. Satis- 

 factory seedling stands were obtained with a large number of grasses 

 seeded on clean tilled land under favorable conditions in the spring 

 of 1936. A torrential rain followed by high winds destroyed most 

 of the plants before they became established, and solid tillage was 

 required to control soil blowing. A few scattering plants of galleta 

 grass survived these conditions and still persisted among grasses 

 transplanted on the area the following spring. 





Figure 9. — A football field solidly resodded with buffalo grass in the spring of 

 1936, as it appeared ready for use that fall, at Hays, Kans. 



